Bellatrix was suddenly the favourite daughter. Druella took her shopping, bought her treats and gifts. Most of all, she was now allowed to sit with the adults at dinner, even though she wasn't even twelve yet. She basked in the attention, though Andromeda got jealous and told her it was just because the visitor had invited her into the dining room.

"What did he say to you anyway?"

"You're too young," Bellatrix said loftily, as she sorted out her new things after yet another shopping trip. "You wouldn't understand."

Andromeda sulked. "He's creepy."

"He is not. He's a real gentleman, really kind and nice, and –"

"You have a crush on him," Andromeda said, realising. She had only a faint idea of what a crush was from books, but it would explain the sudden interest, the flushing, the praise. Bellatrix blushed red.

"No I haven't!"

"Yes you do! He's older than Father!"

"No he isn't," Bellatrix spat. "You're jealous because you're a sad little girl, and nobody would ever look at you, not least somebody as refined as The Dark Lord."

"Is that was he calls himself? You're pathetic!"

Bellatrix shoved her. Hard. Andromeda lost her balance and fell back against her dresser, banging her head.

"Andy?" Bellatrix sounded worried. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," Andromeda said, though she was dazed. The sisters rarely fought, and certainly never pushed each other. Bellatrix offered her her hand to pull her up, but Andromeda ignored it, and she pulled it back. "Fine," she snapped. "Be like that."

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It wasn't fair, Andromeda thought as she kicked the wall in her bedroom, then stopped because she was worried about getting in trouble. It wasn't fair that Bellatrix was suddenly the favourite, just because a friend of their parents had invited her to join the meeting. And Bellatrix liked the attention. Usually she hated when Druella was syrupy and fawning, and said that she was after something. But now she readily accepted all of the gifts and praise, all of the new clothes and books. Bellatrix didn't like reading, so just shoved them into shelves in the library. Andromeda had peered at them hopefully, but they were all thick and complicated, with titles like The Natural Rise Of Wizardkind and A Short History Of Mugggleborns.

It didn't look very short. It was about the width of your average thesaurus.

Narcissa was sick of it too, especially since Druella never let Bellatrix share her things with her sisters. She looked enviously at her pretty new dresses, her jewelled hairpieces, everything Andromeda and Narcissa were not allowed to so much as touch.

"You're the special one," Druella told her reverently, like it had been God himself who had beckoned Bellatrix forward. "He really took to you, didn't he, dear? Grandfather wrote to say how proud he was of you, and Candida Bulstrode was absolutely green with envy."

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The day before Bellatrix was to go back to school, the entire family was woken by her screaming. Andromeda got to her bedroom first, worried something bad had happened. By the sounds of things, her sister was being murdered. But she was lying in bed and crying.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm dying, Andy!" She sobbed. "I'm bleeding! There's so much blood!"

"What is the meaning of all this noise?" the voice of their mother came from behind Andromeda, she stepped to the side to let her through. "Bellatrix?"

Bellatrix's cheeks were wet with tears. "I think I'm dying, Mother, there's all blood in my bed!"

Druella straightened up. "Oh," she said. "Oh dear, well, I think we'd better have a chat, Bellatrix."

She closed the door right in Andromeda's face.

She was in there a while, long enough that Andromeda began to get fidgety. Narcissa joined her outside the door, and when Druella swept out at long last, they went into their sister's room. Andromeda was alarmed to see Bellatrix pulling sheets off her bed, because she could see the rust coloured stains.

"Oh Bella, you are dying!" She burst into tears.

"What? No! It's just – well, Mother will explain when you're old enough too. Basically it means that now I can have a baby."

Andromeda imagined a baby inside her sister, all curled up and small. She was hazy about the details, but she was pretty sure that it went in her stomach.

Narcissa looked at her in amazement. "Are you having a baby, Bellatrix? Is it the Dark Lord's baby?"

"You're too little to understand, Cissy. Go on, get out. I've got stuff to do."

Andromeda and Narcissa were bewildered by the whole thing, and late one night they talked about it.

"Do you think we're going to be aunties, Andromeda?"

"I don't know," she paused. "Maybe."

"But how does the baby come?"

"You're too young to understand," she said, though she didn't really know herself. She used to think that they were delivered by somebody, but Walburga had put her off that idea.

"Maybe it's magic."

"But muggles have babies too."

This was true. She struggled for a counter argument but found none. "I don't know, then. But remember before Regulus came, Aunt Walburga was extra fat, and then she had to rest?"

"Yes. Maybe she pressed her belly button, and he popped out of her tummy. Maybe we came out of Mother."

She sounded quite scared by the idea. Andromeda had been too young to remember when Narcissa was born, though Bellatrix had vague memories. She said Druella had spent all her time in bed for months and she thought she was sick.

"Maybe when Bellatrix comes home in the summer, she'll be all fat like Walburga, and then the baby will pop out too?" Narcissa continued.

Andromeda didn't like to think about it. "Maybe," she said.

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When Bellatrix went back to school, there were a lot more letters sent to her. Even Miss Travers was starry eyed, and Andromeda lost her patience.

"I don't understand what the big deal is," she said crossly. "It was only a man. He's nothing special."

Miss Travers gasped like a devout Christian who had just heard something blasphemous. "How dare you? Don't you understand, girl?"

She drew herself up to her full and not very impressive height. "The Dark Lord will bring us into wonderful times. He will save us all."

"From what, though?" Narcissa asked, wrinkling her nose.

"From the perils of our world, you stupid child! From the mudbloods infesting our school, the muggles who cheat and steal from us! Even you will understand some day. Our husbands, brothers and sons all fight for a worthy cause."

Andromeda was alarmed to see that the woman was near tears. "Don't you ever speak against the Dark Lord again," she said, her hands clasped by her chest. "We shall forget this incident. How are your letters to your sister? Give me yours, Narcissa."

Narcissa handed hers over obediently. Andromeda had helped her with some of the difficult bits.

Dear Bellatrix,

I hope you are well and I hope the baby is well too. Last week Aunt Millicent came to dinner and she ate a lot. I wonder when your baby is going to come I can't wait.

Love from you sister, Narcissa.

It only took Miss Travers a moment to read the letter, but she turned a vivid scarlet and stared at it with popping eyes for a long time.

"Miss Travers?" Narcissa asked.

She finally found her voice. "You are a wicked, wicked little girl! How dare you say such things about your sister!"

"What's wrong?" Andromeda asked.

"Such filth about babies!"

Narcissa's face crinkled in confusion. "But Mother said Bellatrix was going to have a baby."

Their teacher stared at her, quite speechless. Then she went and fetched Druella. Their mother was irate at having her nap interrupted, and when she was told the problem, she stared at her youngest daughter in shock.

"I never said any such thing. Besides, Bellatrix shouldn't have discussed that with you girls. It's for grown up ladies to understand."

"So she's not having a baby?" Narcissa looked crestfallen.

"Of course not! She's still a child, Narcissa. The idea!"

Narcissa was disappointed. She had clearly had dreams of a real life doll she could dress up and cuddle. Andromeda, however, felt only a swooping sense of relief. She had been afraid of a mini version of the Dark Lord running around.